There are few things more frustrating than transportation disruptions — whether it’s a brief delay that adds a few minutes to your morning commute or a major transportation interruption that leaves you waiting for hours. Of course a service interruption doesn’t impede just your plans — several million people can be affected by a single transportation glitch if it occurs in a heavily populated city like Tokyo, which has an average daily rail ridership (MRT and LRT) of 8.7 million passengers. That number is just the tip of the transportation iceberg — worldwide, 35 percent of work commutes are made on public transport. That’s a lot of people depending on reliable transportation!

Service disruptions are not only inconvenient for passengers and costly for railroads, but failures also impact the economy, leading to lost business and reduced productivity. Britain’s National Audit Office (NAO) estimated that late running trains cost the economy around £1 billion a year in terms of passengers’ lost time and caused 14 million minutes of delay to rail journeys.

Railways are a large-scale example of how a business can be crippled by unexpected equipment failure. For example, consider the consequences of electrical medium voltageswitchgear failure, which is critical for train operation and safety. It’s much more likely to occur with older equipment and can cause severe damage, delays, and even injuries. Modernization, combined with proper switchgear and switchboard maintenance, can improve reliability and meet a company’s evolving needs.

For crucial areas of your business, you must think proactively, rather than reactively, and focus on solutions that ensure your critical electrical equipment is up to the test.

What are some of the key points you should consider?

One of the most challenging aspects of modernizing equipment — whether it’s upgrading, repairing or retrofitting — is determining how to do it while minimizing downtime. Your goal is to increase reliability and cut downtime in the long run, which will save money and keep operations on track, but you may have to sacrifice uptime as you make changes. Choosing compact, easy-to-install solutions can get your operations up and running as soon as possible.

You’ve also got to keep your eye on the long game. Where do you anticipate your business is headed? By focusing on the future as you approach a modernization process you can take advantage of smart technology like smart-grid functionality and advanced monitoring.

Evaluate your options before a problem occurs so you don’t miss the opportunity to future-proof your organization while ensuring more reliable operations, protecting your equipment and reducing downtime.

Read our case study to learn how Sydney Trains was able to upgrade their train network in a three-day period.